This invention relates to display apparatus and a method for operating same and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for displaying the presence of instructions that may be included in previously recorded messages.
In using record/playback devices for the recording and playing back of dictated messages, the user (or author) often wishes to provide instructions to the transcriptionist, for example, instructions relating to the message itself, its transcription, the intended recipient of that message, or the like. Such instructions often are handwritten as a separate note and handed to the transcriptionist or otherwise affixed to the record medium upon which the message has been dictated. Alternatively, the author may give verbal instructions to the transcriptionist, either in a personal conference, or by telephone, or by other means (e.g. via messenger). Such techniques have proven less than satisfactory in communicating the author's instructions to the transcriptionist.
In some prior art recording/playback devices, an index scale formed of a paper strip is scanned as the author records his messages. While recording a message, the author may dictate an instruction, and the relative location of this instruction on the record medium is indicated by a suitable mark on the index strip. Typically, solenoid-activated scribing instruments, heater elements, or the like have been employed to be triggered by remotely controlled switches, usually provided on the dictation handset, to provide such instruction indicating marks. Then, when the transcriptionist is presented with the record medium for transcription, the marked index strip may be viewed to ascertain those locations at which instructions have been recorded. The record medium then may be advanced or rewound to those locations represented by the marks, whereupon the transcriptionist may play back the recorded instructions. However, if the index strip is misplaced or otherwise lost prior to transcription, the transcriptionist will not be made aware of the locations of dictated instructions and, when playing back those instructions, might not be cognizant of the fact that the reproduced verbal message is an instruction and not part of the message being transcribed.
Recently, such paper index strips have been replaced by an electronic display in which light elements, such as LED's, LCD's, or the like, are selectively activated to provide a viewable indication of the locations of previously recorded instructions. Examples of such electronic displays are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,051,540, 4,200,893 and 4,410,923. Other examples of electronic displays are known, and in all of these the location of an instruction generally is marked electronically on the record medium by a suitable instruction signal. This instruction signal typically is recorded as a distinguishable signal, such as one or more bursts of predetermined frequency, known as tone bursts. An instruction tone burst, also known as a "cue" tone, is recorded by the author, as described in the aforementioned patents, to designate the beginning of an instructional message.
Typically, messages are recorded on and played from a magnetic tape. In some prior art devices, the instructional message is recorded on the very same track as the informational message dictated by the author, and is designated by the aforementioned instruction cue tone which also is recorded in that track. In other devices, the instructional message is recorded on a separate track and the instructional cue tone may be recorded either on that same separate track or on the track reserved for the primary informational message. In either embodiment, it is understood that when an instructional message (and its designating instruction cue tone) is recorded in a length of tape along which the primary informational message is recorded, that informational message may be thought of as "containing" the instruction.
Although magnetic tape generally has been the preferable record medium for the recording and playing back of messages (and instructions within those messages), other record media may be used, such as magnetic belts or magnetic disks. These, however, are analogous to magnetic tapes and instructional messages may be recorded in the same track as the primary informational message or in a separate track. Similarly, the instruction cue tone which designates the location of that instructional message may be recorded in the same track as the primary informational message or in a separate track.
With the advent of relatively low cost solid-state storage devices, typically known as "memory chips", recorded messages may be digitized and stored as digital signals in such memory chips. Likewise, instructional messages and the locations of those instructional messages relative to the primary informational messages also may be stored in the memory chips. The digitized informational and instructional messages may be played back merely by reading out selected locations of those memory chips, converting the digitized signals back into analog form, and then reproducing the analog informational and instructional messages.
In using the recording/playback devices of the type described in the aforementioned patents for transcribing previously recorded messages, it is preferable first to operate those devices in a "scan" mode by which the record medium (e.g. the magnetic tape) first is scanned to detect the presence of instruction cue tones thereon. The detection of such instruction cue tones results in a linear display of those locations along the tape at which such instruction cue tones (and instructional messages) are recorded. The scanning of the record medium also results in a display of the locations of the end of each message (obtained by detecting end-of-message cue tones), thus furnishing the transcriptionist with a viewable display of the relative length and location of each message and the presence of instructional messages contained therein. Similar displays may be provided when the record medium is comprised of a magnetic belt or disk, or when the record medium is formed as one or more of the aforementioned memory chips.
There has been a recent trend toward miniaturization of record/playback devices, this trend being encouraged by proposals to utilize very small tape cassettes, such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,443,827 and 4,476,510, and by the use of the aforementioned memory chips. With such miniaturization, there may not be sufficient exterior space on the record/playback device to provide a display of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,923 wherein a linear display of ends of messages and instructions is provided. Nevertheless, it still is desirable to provide a transcriptionist with an indication of whether any instructional messages have been recorded on the record medium to be transcribed and whether the informational message which is in the process of being or is about to be transcribed contains an instructional message.